Control switch for antenna float with actuating system



April 19, 1966 D. G. DAVIS 3,247,350

CONTROL SWITCH FOR ANTENNA FLOAT WITH ACTUATING SYSTEM Original FiledMarch 9, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. DONALD 6. DAVI5 D- G. DAVISApril 19, 1966 CONTROL SWITCH FOR ANTENNA FLOAT WITH ACTUATING SYSTEM 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Criginal Filed March 9, 1961 IIIIIIII,

INVENTOR. DAVl DONALD G United States Patent ()flice 3,247,350 PatentedApr. 19, 1966 3,247,350 CONTROL SWITCH FOR ANTENNA FLOAT WITH ACTUATINGSYSTEM Donald G. Davis, Northridge, Calif., assignor to Douglas AircraftCompany, Inc., Santa Monica, Calif.

Original application Mar. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 94,569, new

Patent No. 3,112,447, dated Nov. 26, I963. Divided and this applicationMay 1, 1963, Ser. No. 280,763

4 Claims. (Cl. 200161) This application is a division of applicationSerial No. 94,569, filed on March 9, 1961.

This invention relates generally to signalling means normally carried onthe person of an aircraft occupant but which may be mounted to anaircraft, missile nose cone, a travelling vehicle or a package or pod tobe recovered, such means being effective to emit radio frequency signalsthat help locate the person, vehicle or package when it comes to resteither on a body of water or on the land, to enable search or rescueparties to quickly and accurately locate the object when it has come torest.

More particularly, this invention relates to a novel switch structurewhich is especially useful and operatively effective in an antenna floatactuating system such as is described and claimed in my copendingapplication Serial No. 94,569, filed March 9, 1961, for Antenna FloatWith Actuating System, now Patent No. 3,112,447.

In subsistent devices of this general class, it is necessary, upon itslanding, or coming to rest for the bailed-out occupant or vehicle orpackage to proceed or to be manipulate'd as follows: (I) manuallyassemble and erect an antenna and then (2) manually actuate atransmitter, that is, tap out emergency radio signals on thetransmitter.

The present invention provides an improved device of this general classthat includes means carried by the object being searched for, whichmeans has, in its assemblage a landing parachute, a portion of saidmeans attached to a parachute riser for deploying a float carrying anantenna connected to a transmitter, in turn connected to a battery, allbeing carried in a simple support means, such as a vest worn by thecrewman in addition to the usual parachute. Upon performing a simpletriggering action, namely, deploying the parachute, the deviceautomatically both .erects and supports or floats an assembled, buttheretofore collapsed, antenna and automatically initiates the radiationof emergency signals from the now upright antenna.

In order to achieve these and other ends, the present invention, in oneembodiment, comprises a fabric or textile vest, or the like, the vestincluding three pockets. In a first one of these pockets there issecurely mounted an adequate, though compact, electric battery ormercury cell which, upon the parachutes triggering the unit, energizes asmall but adequate radio transmitter carried in a second pocket in thevest. The third vest pocket contains a normally compactly collapsedantenna mounted in this collapsed condition at least partially inside anormally collapsed automatic antenna float and antenna erector. Thisfloat, when inflated, has a buoyance adequate to maintain it upright inwater. It also possesses a sufficient amount of rigidity, orself-sustentation, in reference to center of gravity location, to assumean erect, or substantially erect, attitude and to hold the extendedantenna substantially erect when the device is resting upon land,thereby to increase radio frequency radiation efliciency and range.

The float, in a currently-preferred form, consists of a bag made ofpneumatic life-preseiver material. The bag can be of a frusto-conicalshape when inflated and to visually aid in locating it, is of aflame-red color. It is automatically inflated by a conventionalcompressed CO cartridge automatically actuated by a standard automaticinflator. A 243 megacycle coaxial antenna is housed in the float, bothnormally being in collapsed condition. The coaxial antenna has portionsextending through tubing-openings in the top and bottom of the float. Inorder to prevent damage to the float upon water landing, a sufficientlylong lead cable extends from the vest and battery to the fioats bottomand connects to the antenna,

In preparing the device for use, the deflated float is packed in thethird pocket and secured therein with four closure-flaps held closedwith a suitable nylon cord laced through all flaps. There is an inflatorswitch for triggering the inflator, but this switch is normally heldopen by a tie-off cord anchored at one end to the vest. The flap-lacingcords and the switch tie-off cord both pass through a conventionalreefing-cutter including a built-in time delay mechanism. The cutter isat-. tached to the top of the third pocket in such a position as to beactuated by one fork of a bifurcated cord passing therefrom to aparachute riser so that the deployment of the parachute effects severingof both cords passing through the cutter. As a consequence, at the endof a four-seconds time delay, the float inflating mechanism operates tourge the expanding float out of the third pocket, the flap-lacing cordof which has now also been severed by the reefing cutter. Thetransmitter is also activated by the parachutes deployment. The antennais extended by the full inflation of the float and hangs from the vestby its four-feet long lead cord. Because of its truncated'conical shapeand the weight of the inflator unit on its bottom, the float will, uponcoming to rest, either on water or on level ground, remain substantiallyupright, thus maintaining the radiating portion of the erected antennain substantially the optimum, or near-vertical, position. Preferably,the inflator switch includes a safety pin, as does the reefing cutter,which prevent inadvertent actuation of the mechanism during assembly andmaintenance operations. They are removed nonmally just before bailingout. The switch tie-off ,cord portion that passes through the reef: ingcutter is tied to a grommeted tab on the vest and the one end of theswitch is abutted against, or placed in juxtaposition to a cord-accessgrommet on the top edge of the float pocket. The flaps-lacing cords endsare tied together.

This embodiment of the inventive concepts is illus strated in theaccompanying drawings and described hereinafter, in detail, but only inorder to render the invention more concrete and not by way oflimitation. The invention itself is as, and of the scope, defined in thesub-joined claims.

In these drawings,

FIG. 1 is perspective, or pictorial, three-quarters front view of acrewman wearing a vest of the present invention with actuatorconnections between certain components of the vest and a point on aparachute harness riser;

FIG. 2 is perspective front view of the crewman wearing a parachute overthe vest shown in FIG. 1, with the float pocket open, with the antennafloat out of its pocket, inflated, and with the antenna erected;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the inflated float and the erected antenna, andalso shows the float-inflator unit in end view;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the float, indicating the switch, switchrestraining, or tie-off cord, and other components of the inflatorcircuitry and, in broken lines, the contents of the inflator, as well asan emergency lever-type manual actuator for the inflator; FIG. 5 is alongitudinal sectional view of the delayedaction reefing cutter forcutting the switch restraining cord and for contemporaneously cuttingthe lacing holding the pocket-flaps closed;

FIG. 6 is a view of the float pocket with its flaps open, showing thearrangement of the normally collapsed float, the normally collapsedantenna and the electric lead therefrom to the radio frequencytransmitter;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the float pocket, minus its contents andwith the flaps partially open, illustrating the arrangement of the flaplacing, and showing the bight in the center of the lacing cord whichpasses through the reefing cutter;

FIG. 8 illustrates the closed float-pack in combination with the reefingcutter; and

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the inflatoractuating switch.

There is depicted in the drawings a construction for automaticallyactivating an antenna float, erecting a transmitting antenna, initiatingthe emission of'signals from a radio frequency beacon-transmitter, andmaintaining the float upright on land or water, without any manipulationthereof being required on the part of the bailed out crewman.

These means are shown in the present embodiment as carried by,encompassed in, or attached to, a light but durable textile vest 10which, since it is not noticeably heavy, may be worn at all times duringflight by the crewman.

In the rear portion of the vest there are two pockets, a first pocket 9encasing a mercury battery 11 and the second pocket 13 housing a radiofrequency signal transmitter 18. The radio circuit is a one-way onlycircuit or beacon system, since it does not include a radio receiver.

The battery 11 is connected to the transmitter by a conductor 12 routedthrough the vest behind the back of the crewman and the radiotransmitter is connected to the float in pocket 16 by lead 24.

Two of the vital elements of the invention, the antenna and its float orerector, are carried in this pocket 16 on the front of the airman. Thepocket is rectangular with four flaps 17 laced together by a nylon cord84. Cord 84 includes a bight 85 which passes through a reefing cutter30, the construction of which is hereinafter described. The reefingcutter 30 is conditioned by withdrawal of safety pin 35 and actuated bythe pull on 203 one of the furcations, or portions b of a bifurcatedcord 15 when the parachute deploys and extends the parachute riser towhich bifurcated cord 15 is attached by a snap-hook 14. The severedlacing is pushed out of the flaps by the. inflating float 2-1 when 21expandingly ejected itself from pocket 16.

Cord 15 is bifurcated and one fork 15a extends from the riser to thetransmitter to activate the transmitterantenna unit, while the otherfork 15b extends to the reefing cutter, as aforementioned. Thetransmitter 18 is automatically energized when the cord 15 and the fork15a are pulled, through an extension of the parachute riser.

In FIG. 6, the collapsed, packed float 21 is shown in the opened pocket,along with a four foot long electrical lead 24 from the vest to thefloat. The length of lead is desirable to, among other advantages,prevent excessive loads being exerted on the lead to antenna to floatconnections during water landing wherein the parachutist erecting theantenna which is normally coiled in its anu housed in the float pocket.Since the base of the frustoconical float is wider than the top thereofand since this base bears heavy adjuncts that lower the center ofgravity of the inflated float, the latter will tend to remainsubstantially upright when resting on water or on more or less levelground.

A lead conductor 24 extends from beacon transmitter 18 through thepocket 16 and to the antenna mounted in the float. The extended antenna26 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The float is automatically inflated, after the deploying parachute hasactuated the reefing cutter 30 as described below, by means including anelectric switch 34 normally held in an open position by detent meansincluding a tie-off cord 28. As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 8 and 9 this tieoffcord at one end is anchored restrainingly in the electric switch of FIG.9, the opposite end passing transversely through an aperture 200 in thereefing cutter 30 shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8 and thence through a grommet64 in a tab 106 on a flap 17, this end of the cord being tied orotherwise anchored to said tab. As shown in FIG. 5, the cutter 30, whichis a conventional device described and published in the catalog,published in 1960, by Ordnance'Associates, Inc., 855 El Centro Street,South Pasadena, California, includes a casing 20-1 encompassing a blade102 for severing the bight of cord84 and also cord 28 passingtransversely therethrough via aperature 200. The blade 102 is. actuatedby an explosive cartridge 92, fired by a firing pin 94 normally heldback against the action of a spring 96 by means of a pin 203 exertingpressure against a ball 32 and detent 33. The 'cutter is anchored by aspring type lock ring 29 in a metal bracket 31 which is sewn to theextended back of the pocket 16. When the pin 2% is pulled, the pressureagainst the ball 32 and detent 33 is released and spring 96 propels thefiring pin 94 into activating contact with cartridge 92. This cartridge,after a 4-second delay, in turn fires, and propels the blade 102 throughbight 85 and cord 28, severing them and thereby opening flaps 17 andclosing switch 34. A safety pin 35 passing through hole and locking thefiring pin 94, is provided to prevent inadvertent firing during assemblyof the float and pocket. This pin is removed after assembly and prior toissue of the entire system for use or at least before actual use of thesystem.

The novel switch 34, being now closed, supplies current from mercurybattery 76 to the explosive charge in the squib 68, axially moving thefiring pin 74. The explosion of the squib forces pin 74 into thepuncturable gas seal wall 72 of the capsule 42 containing compressedcarbon dioxide, wherefrom CO expands into the float through port 210 andinflates it.

The switch 34, in detail, comprises a casing or shell 44, terminal posts46, 47 for conducting the current from mercury battery 76, normally opencontact 48, a springpropelled contact closer 50 in the form of agenerally cylindric plunger having a concave flared inner end 52, asshown, and an apertured outer end abutted against a coiled spring 62.The casing is provided with a threaded end plug having an axial borethcrethrough. A portion of one end of cord 28 passes through the boreand through spring 62, its inner end having a ball-detent 205 seated inthe outer end of 50 so that the tie-off cord 28 normally holds thecontact-closer 50 away from the switch-contacts, which are insulated at58 from the casing. Casing 44 has safety pin holes 56 through the sidesto accommodate a safety pin (not shown) which engages the closer 50while the distal end of 28 is being secured.

The distal end of the tie-01f cord 28 passes through a lateral aperture200 in the reefing cutter 30, 200 being provided to properly place inseverable position both the tie-off cord 28 and the bight 85 of thepackage lacing 84, both of which pass through the reefing cutter. Fromthe reefing cutter, 28 passes through a grommet 64 secured to theadjacent flap 17 by means of a tab 106. This distal end of 28 is securedto the grommet by means of a tie-ofi? in the form of an eyelet loop, 66.

The float-infiator group 28, as shown in FIG. 4, is a conventionalcompressed gas inflator, the terminal plate, squib and battery of whichare described and published in the 1960 catalog of Iayel Products Co.,Gardena, California. The CO cartridge itself is a conventionalcompressed gas punctura-ble infiator cartridge described and publishedin the 1960 catalog of Kidde Manufacturing Co., Belleville, New Jerseyand identified as Mil-C- 00601A. It includes a compressed CO capsule 42having an easily puncturable lower wall 72 co-axially adjacent to afiring pin unit 74 made up of a hollow cylindric pin, pointed at itsupper end and slidably encasiug a squib, 68 composed of an electricallyignitable explosive. The explosive is ignited by a current emanatingfrom a mercury battery 76 connected in a circuit including the terminals46 and 47 of switch 34 so that when the reefing cutter severs thetie-01f cord 28, the switch closes and current passes from the mercurybattery 76 through conductor path 41 and binding post 83 (in terminalbox 38). This current is conducted through the switch and passes throughconductor path 40 to post 79 and via path 43 to the explosive 68. Theresultant expansion of gases in 74 forces the firing pin 74 through wall72 and the pressurized CO passes through aperture 210 into the collapsedpacket float, thus expanding it and forcing it out of the now openpocket, the flaps 17 of which have been opened by severance of thelacing bight 85. As later explained, the expansion of the floats top andbottom surfaces away from each other, substantially rectilinearizes, orerects, as shown in FIG. 3, the flexible antenna theretofore coiledinside it in the position shown in FIG. 6. Conductors 40 and 43 from theswitch and from the squib, respectively, tie to binding post 79 on theterminal plate of the inflator unit. Conductor 43a leads from the squibto post 81 and thence to the battery 76 through conductor 4 1a whichties to post 81.

To meet the contingency that, for some abnormal reason, the electricalcomponents of the squib firing mechanism may become inoperative, aconventional, handlever type manual firing arrangement 78 is providedand may be employed to puncture the CO capsule by manual levering of thefiring pin 74 through the puncturable wall of the CO capsule withconsequent inflation of the float. Cord 78a is connected at one end tothe lever 78, and has at the other end a knob 78b which can be manuallygrasped for pulling the lever 78.

The inflated float is shown in FIGS. 2

central section, it is a frustum of a cone.

In FIG. 7, the lacing arrangement for the float-containing pocket isshown. A nylon line 84 is passed as shown through grommets 86 arrangedas shown, with a bight 85 passing through 290 in the cutter. The line 84is pulled tight to close the flaps and the two ends 87 and 88 united byknotting, the bight 85 of the line still passing through the cutteradjacent to the blade.

The operation of the device will have become apparent from the foregoingdescription.

Although the now preferred embodiment of the invention has beendescribed in detail, it will be perceived by those skilled in this artthat various refinements and ramifications in the specific embodimentdisclosed may be resorted to without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined in the sub-joined claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a switch comprising: v

a substantially hollow, elongate casing generally open at first andsecond ends thereof;

a pair of elongate, normally separated contacts extending axially withinthe first end of said casing,

Y and 3 as com-' prising a conoidal figure of revolution; that is, invertical said contacts being each longitudinally resilient and laterallydeflectable with respect to the length thereof;

binding post means respectively securing axially outer end portions ofeach of said contacts to sides of said casing near the first endthereof, the axially inner end portions of each of said contacts beinglaterally displaced inwardly away from said casing;

a cont-acts connector means slidably mounted for axial movement in saidcasing towards and away from the axially inner end portions of saidnormally separated contacts, said contacts connector means having anelectrically conductive end portion for contacting the axially inner endportions of said contacts and being conically recessed to engage anddeflect the axially inner end portions of said contacts laterallytowards each other when said contacts connector means is in thecontacts-connecting posi- 1 tion whereby said contacts are electricallyconnected together;

a closure mounted to the second end of said casing;

a compression spring interposed axially between said contacts connectormeans and said closure; and

means having a detent portion engaging said contacts connector means andnormally holding the same axially away from the axially inner endportions of said contacts against the bias of said spring in a firstcondition, said means for engaging and holding said contacts connectormeans being operable to a second condition wherein said contactsconnector means is released and said spring urges said contactsconnector means into contacts-connecting position with respect to theaxially inner end portions of said contacts.

2. A switch as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring is helically woundand longitudinally disposed in said casing, said closure defining anaxial hole therethrough, and said means for engaging and holding saidcontacts connector means includes cordlike means having a detent portionengaging said contacts connector means and which extends longitudinallythrough said helically wound spring and the hole in said closure wherebysaid cordlike means is tensioned to hold said contacts connector meansnormally away from the axially inner end portions of said contacts.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a switch comprising:

a substantially hollow, elongate casing generally open at first andsecond ends thereof;

a pair o-felongate, normally open contacts extending axially within thefirst end of Said casing, said contacts being each longitudinallyresilient and laterallydefiectable with respect to the length thereof;

binding post means respectively securing axially outer end portionsofeach of said contacts to sides of said.,casing,nearthe:fir t endthereof, the axially inner, end portions of: each of said contacts beinglaterally. displaced inwardly away from said casing;

a contacts closer;me-ans;slidably mounted for axial movement in saidcasing towards and away from the axially inner end portions of saidnormally open contacts, said contacts closer means having anelectrically conductive end portion for contacting the axially inner endportions of said contacts and being conically recessed to engage anddeflect both of the axially innerend portions of said contacts laterallytowards each other when in the contacts-engaging position;

a closure mounted to the second end of said casing,

said closure defining an axial hole therethrough;

a compression spring interposed axially between said contacts closermeans and said closure, said spring being helically wound andlongitudinally disposed in said casing;

a severable cord having a detent portion engaging said contacts closermeans, said cord extending longitudinally through said spring and thehole in said closure and normally placed in tension to hold saidcontacts closer means normally away from the 5 axially inner endportions of said contacts against the bias of said spring; and means forsevering said cord to allow said spring to urge said contacts closermeans into engagement with the axially inner end portions of saidcontacts whereby said contacts are electrically connected together. 4. Aswitch as defined in claim 3 including a safety pin, 'and wherein saidcasing defines a hole at a predetermined axial position therein wherebysaid pin is inserted into said hole to engage said contacts closer 15References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Blodge'tt'200-l61 McWilliarns 200-153 Istrati et al. 200-161 X Dickinson 200161Ratcliif 20052 BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner. H. A. LEWITTER,Assistant Examiner.

1. IN APPARATUS OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, A SWITCH COMPRISING: ASUBSTANTIALLY HOLLOW, ELONGATE CASING GENERALLY OPEN AT FIRST AND SECONDENDS THEREOF; A PAIR OF ELONGATE, NORMALLY SEPARATED CONTACTS EXTENDINGAXIALLY WITHIN THE FIRST END OF SAID CASING, SAID CONTACTS BEING EACHLONGITUDINALLY RESILIENT AND LATERALLY DEFLECTABLE WITH RESPECT TO THELENGTH THEREOF; BINDING POST MEANS RESPECTIVELY SECURING AXIALLY OUTEREND PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAID CONTACTS TO SIDES OF SAID CASING NEAR THEFIRST END THEREOF, THE AXIALLY INNER END PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAIDCONTACTS BEING LATERALLY DISPLACED INWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID CASING; ACONTACTS CONNECTOR MEANS SLIDABLY MOUNTED FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT IN SAIDCASING TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM THE AXIALLY INNER END PORTIONS OF SAIDNORMALLY SEPARATED CONTACTS, SAID CONTACTS CONNECTOR MEANS HAVING ANELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE END PORTION FOR CONTACTING THE AXIALLY INNER ENDPORTIONS OF SAID CONTACTS AND BEING CONICALLY RECESSED TO ENGAGE ANDDEFLECT THE AXIALLY INNER END PORTIONS OF SAID CONTACTS LATERALLYTOWARDS EACH OTHER WHEN SAID CONTACTS CONNECTOR MEANS IS IN THECONTACTS-CONNECTING POSITION WHEREBY SAID CONTACTS ARE ELECTRICALLYCONNECTED TOGETHER; A CLOSURE MOUNTED TO THE SECOND END OF SAID CASING;A COMPRESSION SPRING INTERPOSED AXIALLY BETWEEN SAID CONTACTS CONNECTORMEANS AND SAID CLOSURE; AND MEANS HAVING A DETENT PORTION ENGAGING SAIDCONTACTS CONNECTOR MEANS AND NORMALLY HOLDING THE SAME AXIALLY AWAY FROMTHE AXIALLY INNER END PORTIONS OF SAID CONTACTS AGAINST THE BIAS OF SAIDSPRING IN A FIRST CONDITION, SAID MEANS FOR ENGAGING AND HOLDING SAIDCONTACTS CONNECTOR MEANS BEING OPERABLE TO A SECOND CONDITION WHEREINSAID CONTACTS CONNECTOR MEANS IS RELEASED AND SAID SPRING URGES SAIDCONTACTS CONNECTOR MEANS INTO CONTACTS-CONNECTING POSITION WITH RESPECTTO THE AXIALLY INNER END PORTIONS OF SAID CONTACTS.